An RV refrigerator is the appliance that quits in Arizona, because an absorption fridge makes cold by making heat and then getting rid of it, and a 112-degree afternoon leaves it nowhere to put that heat. Norcold and Dometic both publish what to check, what the codes mean, and the limits the units are built to. This guide is their lists, in their words, plus the two signs that mean stop and call.
Start with the display
Norcold’s N62 through N84 series and the Polar N7 and N8 series put a code on the panel. “no FL” or “F” means “The burner did not ignite or re-ignite,” and the manual’s list is the propane side: the tank valve is open, the gas is at the correct pressure, the refrigerator’s manual shutoff is open, and there is no air in the supply line. “no AC” or “A” means “AC voltage is unavailable to the refrigerator control panel”: check the outlet and the fuse or breaker. “dc LO” or “C” means “DC voltage to the refrigerator control panel is too low,” which is the house battery and converter, not the fridge. “dr” or “d” is simpler: “The door was open for more than 2 minutes.”
The codes that end in “rE,” “HE,” “Sr,” “H” and “S” all carry the same line in the manual: “This is a fault within the refrigerator controls.” And the same instruction: “This is not owner serviceable. See your dealer or authorized Norcold Service Center.” On the Polar series the manual adds one owner step for “Sr” and “oP LI”: “Turn the refrigerator OFF and then back ON to reset. If the fault code continues, please see your dealer.”
On the N400 and N510, the code to know is “n”: “The refrigerator cooling unit has stopped cooling.” The manual’s first-time list before a reset is the vents, the door, and “That the vehicle is level.”
What the makers say to check before you call
Level. Norcold: “The refrigerator is made to operate within 3° off level side-to-side and 6° off level front-to-back (as looking at the front of the refrigerator),” and “Operating it at more than these limits can cause damage to the cooling system and create a risk of personal injury or property damage.” Dometic says “The refrigerator must be kept level when the RV is parked for several hours or more,” that “Loss of cooling could occur if the refrigerator operates in a noticeable out-of-level position for several hours,” and, for the road, “It is not critical for the refrigerator to be level when traveling.”
Time. Norcold: “Start up the refrigerator and let it cool for eight hours before loading with food.” Dometic: “Allow the refrigerator to cool before placing food inside,” and “Allow hot drinks or food to cool to room temperature before placing them inside the refrigerator.”
Packing. Dometic: “Ensure that the refrigerator is not overpacked.” Norcold: “Let air move freely inside the entire food compartment. Do not cover the shelves with plastic, paper, etc.”
Frost. Norcold: “Cover all liquids and moist foods. Let all hot foods cool before putting them in the refrigerator. Do not open the door any longer than necessary.” And the door seal test: “Close each door on a piece of paper that is about the size and thickness of a dollar bill.” If the paper slides out, the seal is gone, and Norcold sends that to the dealer: “Have your dealer or an authorized Norcold Service Center correct the seal of the door.”
Airflow. Norcold: “Make sure the air flow in the lower intake vent, through the refrigerator coils and condenser, and out the upper exhaust vent is not blocked or decreased,” and “Do not use the area behind the refrigerator for storage of anything, especially gasoline and other flammable vapors and liquids.” Dometic: “Check the lower vent, upper vent, and the area between these openings for any obstructions, such as bird or insect nests.” A season in a Mesa storage lot is enough for both.
The Arizona limits
Heat. Dometic: “For purposes of operation, this product should not be operated in temperatures that go below a minimum temperature of 5 °F (-15 °C) or above a maximum temperature of 110 °F (43 °C) for periods in excess of 12 hours at one time.” Norcold’s compressor manual lists, among the reasons a unit stops cooling, “Make sure that the ambient temperature is not unusually high (more than 110° F. / 43° C.).” The manuals’ only remedies are the ones above: shade, airflow, a closed door, and a cold load.
Altitude. Norcold: “When you operate the refrigerator on propane gas at altitudes higher than 5500 feet above sea level: You may experience reduced cooling performance of the refrigerator. You may experience burner outages.” The fix it gives: “Norcold recommends that you operate the refrigerator on AC when at altitudes higher than 5500 feet above sea level.” That covers Flagstaff, Show Low and the Mogollon Rim campgrounds.
Vent fans. Norcold’s installation manual: “If you use an upper side-wall exhaust vent on a refrigerator model that is not equipped with a fan, the refrigerator cooling performance will be poor.” Whether your unit has a fan, and whether an add-on fan kit is worth it on your rig, is a question for the tech.
Stop and call
Both makers have recalled absorption refrigerators for fire risk, and both list the signs. Dometic: “Turn off the refrigerator immediately if you notice any of the following indicators: Leakage or staining at the back of the refrigerator,” “Yellow residue at the back or sides of the refrigerator,” “The smell of ammonia,” and “The refrigerator does not properly cool.” For units in the recall, “Do not operate your refrigerator on LP gas under any circumstance,” and “At no charge to you, Dometic’s Secondary Burner Housing Kit needs to be installed on your refrigerator.”
Norcold’s 1200 series has a high temperature sensor: “A solid red light means the High Temperature Sensor (HTS Kit) has tripped. Please turn off the refrigerator and unplug from the 110V outlet.” And: “Owners of recalled refrigerators should NOT operate their refrigerator until it can be professionally repaired by a local dealer or Service Center.” The recall page is blunt about the workaround people try: “Bypassing, altering, or modifying any of the electrical components of your refrigerator, including the HTS system, can limit or remove safety aspects of your refrigerator and should NOT be done under any circumstances.”
Dometic’s general warning covers everything else: “If the refrigerator stops working and/or it emits an ammonia smell, immediately turn refrigerator off” and contact a service center. Do not, in its words, “attempt to solve the problem by repeatedly restarting the refrigerator.”
When to call a tech
Norcold’s own line: “If the refrigerator does not start to cool down after about two hours, contact your dealer or a Norcold authorized service center.” Its annual list, “Have a qualified RV dealer or a Norcold authorized service center do these annual safety and maintenance checks,” and Dometic’s, “a qualified service technician should, at least once a year, inspect the connections, the control system, the LP gas pressure, and the flue baffle,” are the same job a mobile tech does in the bay behind the outside vent. The techs below list refrigerators among the systems they work on. Tell them the brand, the model from the label inside the door, the code, and whether it fails on gas, electric, or both.